Social Drivers of Health Curriculum for Dermatology Residents: the UCSF Experience

Addressing social drivers of health (SDH) is essential to achieving health equity. These social and structural factors strongly influence patients' ability to access and benefit from care, but they often are omitted from formal dermatology residency training. We implemented a formal longitudinal SDH curriculum at a large academic dermatology program (University of California San Francisco [San Francisco, California]) that incorporated didactics, experiential rotations, community engagement, and trainee leadership to teach competencies such as assessing SDH; developing patient-centered plans; and practicing antiracist, culturally humble care. Residents reported increased awareness of the challenges faced by diverse populations, greater comfort addressing SDH in clinical scenarios, and perceived improvements in their ability to care for patients with complex social needs. Our results support broader incorporation of SDH and structural competency into dermatology training with continued refinement and community engagement.